Sectional sprinkling device

ABSTRACT

A sectional sprinkling head specifically for distribution of liquid pesticides and fertilizers having an elongated body with a coupling for connection to a source of fluid supply and a grating having sprinkling openings, the grating being removably secured to the body and the sprinkler having its effective length adjustable by means of opposed plungerlike piston plugs.

United States Patent [72] Inventors Claude Denninger Chemin desGrefiieres, (69) St. Cyr-au-mt.

dor; Maurice Confino, Les Bageardes, (69) Chazay-dArergues, France [21]Appl. No. 746,892

[22] Filed July 23, 1968 [45] Patented Feb. 23, 1971 [54] SECTIONALSPRINKLING DEVICE 3 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs. [5 2] U.S. Cl 239/556,239/280, 239/532, 239/559, 239/563, 239/567, 239/579 [51] Int. Cl. B05b1/14 [50] Field ofSearch 239/280 (X), 286, 525, 532 (X), 548, 559 (X),556, 560, 563(X), 566, 567(X), 568, 563

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,784,032 3/1957 Johansson239/566X 3,434,522 3/1969 Laurenty 239/566X FOREIGN PATENTS 4,701,1468/1937 Great Britain 239/563 Primary Examiner-Lloyd L. King AssistantExaminer-Gene A. Church Attorney-Dennison, Dennison, Townshend &Meserole SECTIONAL SPRINKLING DEVICE The present invention relates to animproved sectional sprinkling device, to be used in particular fordistributing liquid herbicides and fertilizers over small andmedium-sized areas, such as, for instance, private gardens and privateor public parks. More generally, this invention will be useful togardeners having to distribute or spread liquids evenly over areas, thesizes or shapes of which do not allow using conventional hauledsprinklers.

Among the known sprinkling devices, the most widely used is theconventional sprinkling rose, usually fitted to a watering-can. Itssprinkling surface is circular or oval, and provided with a great numberof holes of varying diameters, and is more suitable for a quick(quantitative) distribution than for an even, controlled (qualitative)distribution.

Now, owing to the fact that pesticides, and in particular general orselective herbicides, are more and more in general use, new problems areset, which cannot be solved by the apparatus known heretofore. Firstly,it is necessary to spread a t given quantity of active material asaccurately as possible over the area to be treated, this point beingparticularly critical when using so-called selective herbicides, theselectivity of which is only effective for a duly predetermined dose,since with a double or larger dose there is a risk of serious damage tothe plants on the ground treated. It is then necessary that said givenquantity of active material be carried in a sufficient volume of water,depending onthe moistness of the area to be treated. Lastly, it isnecessary that the herbicidal composition be spread as uniformly aspossible over said area, so as to clean it completely.

Now, a conventional sprinkling rose meets such requirementsinadequately, because, due to its shape, it distributes inevitably moreliquid over the central part of the strip of ground treated than overthe side portions thereof.

Sprinklers are known, which are in the shape of cylindrical banks of asmall diameter. They are advantageous in that they ensure a much betterregularity and accuracy when treating areas such as those contemplatedherein, but cleaning them after use is a diflicult work.

Now, the cleaning problem is an important matter, owing to the fact thatthe sprinkling outlets may become choked for many reasons. On the otherhand, the water used is not always very clean, because it comes oftenfrom springs, or wells or tanks, and it is liable to contain suspendedsmall solid particles. On the other hand, products such as herbicidesare generally not used in the pure state, but as compositions includingin particular inert fillers, the particle size of which is not alwayswholly uniform, so that there is a risk of the sprinkling outletsbecoming likewise choked thereby.

In the case of a conventional sprinkling rose, choking is only a minorproblem, since in such a rose many outlets are aligned along the sameline parallel to the operatingaxis. On the contrary, in the case of asprinkling bank, wherein the outlets are aligned along one or two linesnormal to the operating axis, one of said outlets becoming chokedcreates of necessity on the ground one or more untreated strips, inwhich the weeds will not be destroyed.

Furthermore, while it is comparatively easy to clear the outlets bymeans, for instance, of a pin pushing back the foreign materials insidethe apparatus, it will be much more difficult to remove same from theapparatus body and, if the latter is not thoroughly cleaned, such amishap will occur repeatedly, resulting in a loss of time and nervousirritation for the user.

Lastly, a sprinkling device is likely to be used not only for applyingherbicidal compositions, but also for watering, or for spreading liquidfertilizers or pesticides such as fungicides, nematicides orinsecticides. Consequently, the sprinkling device should always bethoroughly cleaned, as the herbicidal activity of the products now inuse is such that they may be the cause of serious damage, even whenapplied in infinitely small doses.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a sprinklingdevice obviating the drawbacks mentioned hereinabove. To this end, asprinkling device according to the invention comprises an elongated bodyprovided with a coupling for connection to a source of supply, and alower portion or grating provided with sprinkling outlets, said gratingbeing removably secured to said body, whereby said device is adapted tobe cleaned much more quickly and thoroughly after use. Furthermore, theremovable character of said grating allows providing said sprinklingdevice with a set of gratings having outlets, the number and diametersof which are different, depending on the kind of work to be effected.

Thus with a 50 cm long grating provided with outlets of a diameter of lmm, distributed in two parallel rows, an operator is able to treatcompletely a 25 sq. in. area, while using only 10 litres of liquid. Ifthe ground to be treated is already wet, a grating provided with 75outlets only can be used, which will enable an area twice as large, thatis, 50 sq. m., to be treated. After washing this latter grating, theoperator canuse it for difficult jobs, such as watering seed-plots,where it is preferred not to ram the earth with a substantialquantity ofliquid poured quickly. For conventional watering operations, theoperator may use, for instance, a grating having 150 holes of a diameterof 2 mm, which will enable him to spread water quickly, at the rate ofabout 1 litre per square metre, which is the usual dose when using aconventional sprinkling rose.

The shape and size of the sprinkling device according to the inventionmay be varied very widely. ltmay have any section, such as square,triangular, rectangular, oval, or circular. The length of said device isnormally about I or 2 feet, but may be from 3 to 7 feet when the deviceis to be fixed, for instance, to a watering cart. The grating and thebody of the device of the invention are made of the same material, or ofdifferent materials, including various metals and the alloys thereof,plastics materials, and the like.

The useful length of said device is adapted to be adjusted by means ofplungerlike plugs or removable packing pieces adapted to be positionedinside the device body. Such length adjustment is advantageous whentreating very narrow areas, such as, for instance, footways in vegetablegardens.

To make the operators work as easy as possible, and to limit the risk ofgratings being lost, the body of the sprinkling device of the inventionmay include suitable arrangements enabling interchangeable gratings tobe fixed thereto, in which case it is advisable to give said body ashape having a sufficient number of flat surfaces to enable such sparegratings to be secured easily thereon.

If desired, the sprinkling outlets may be designed in a manner such asto project from the surface of the grating, so as to enable the thinliquid jets to remain mutually parallel, and to obtain a still betterdistribution of the liquid on the ground.

The coupling provided on the body of said device for feeding the latterwith liquid, may be located in the middle or at one of the ends thereof.Central feed is advantageous in that the liquid is better distributedinside the sprinkling device. On the other hand, feeding through one ofthe device ends enables the operator not totrample down the area justtreated.

An embodiment of the sprinkling device according to the invention willnow be described, merely by way of example, with reference to theappended drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is alongitudinal sectional view of a sprinkling device accordingto the invention, showing means for adjusting the useful length thereof;

FIG. 2 is a cross section along line I-I' of FIG. 5, showing a methodfor securinga grating to the body of said device;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are FIGS. similar to FIG. 2, but showing other methods forsecuring said grating to said body;

FIG. 5 is a perspective top view of a sprinkling device according to theinvention;

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of one of the gratings adapted to be used withsaid device;

FIGS. 7 and 8 are cross sections of a device body adapted to carry sparegratings."

With reference now to the FIGS., a sprinkling device according to theinvention includes an elongated body C provided with a feed coupling A,which, when said device is designed to be fitted on a watering-can, isconical, and has inner ribs intended for providing a seal. Struts B, B,stiffen the feed coupling-body assembly. Said struts can be omitted, butthey are particularly advantageous when the whole assembly is made ofplastics material.

The removable lower portion or grating G of said device is adapted to besecured to the body C by any suitable method, such as boxing by means oftenons and mortices, fitting into grooves previously formed inside thedevice body, and the like, as shown in FIG. 2, 3, and 4. Said grating Gis provided at both its ends with tongues T, T, which make its removaleasi- The useful length of said sprinkling device is adjustable bymeans, for instance, of plunger like plugs P, P, located inside the bodyC, as shown in FIG. 1.

To make said device fully liquidtight after the assembling thereof, thebody C is made of hard plastics material, while the grating G is made offlexible plastics material, so as to obtain a force fit preventing anyleak.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the body C of said device may be providedwith a sufficient number of flat surfaces and suitable fixing means toenable removable spare gratings G, G, to be secured to said body.

Furthermore, said body may be provided with an arrangement for securinga small brush BR, that the operator will thus have always near at handfor clearing or cleaning the gratings, as shown in FIG. 8.

The sprinkling device according to the invention is, of course, adaptedto be used with any source of liquid, and any feed means suitable forthe work to be effected. Thus it may be connected to a stationary ormovable tank, either directly, or through the medium of a hose. It mayalso be connected with the water distribution system. In each such case,the feed coupling A will be provided with a suitable connection.

Obviously, the invention is not limited to the sole embodiment thereofdescribed hereinabove, by way of example only. It covers, on thecontrary, all modifications thereof falling within the scope of theappended claims.

We claim:

I. A sprinkler head distributing distributing liquid pesticides,fertilizers and the like comprising an elongated hollow body having acoupling at right angles to the axis of said body for connection with asupply of material, said body having a lower open portion, a removableplate adapted to be removably secured within and closing said lowerportion, said plate being provided with sprinkling outlets therein, andat least one additional plate having sprinkling outlets therein of asize or configuration different from said first-named plate and means onsaid elongated body for storing the alternate plate.

2. A sprinkling device as defined in claim 1, and further includingmeans slidably positioned along the axis of said elongated body toadjust the useful length of said sprinkler.

3. A sprinkling device as defined in claim 2, wherein said means foradjusting the useful length of said sprinkler including a pair ofopposed elongated rods having piston like plungers attached to the innerends thereof and being slidable within said elongated body.

1. A sprinkler head distributing distributing liquid pesticides,fertilizers and the like comprising an elongated hollow body having acoUpling at right angles to the axis of said body for connection with asupply of material, said body having a lower open portion, a removableplate adapted to be removably secured within and closing said lowerportion, said plate being provided with sprinkling outlets therein, andat least one additional plate having sprinkling outlets therein of asize or configuration different from said first-named plate and means onsaid elongated body for storing the alternate plate.
 2. A sprinklingdevice as defined in claim 1, and further including means slidablypositioned along the axis of said elongated body to adjust the usefullength of said sprinkler.
 3. A sprinkling device as defined in claim 2,wherein said means for adjusting the useful length of said sprinklerincluding a pair of opposed elongated rods having piston like plungersattached to the inner ends thereof and being slidable within saidelongated body.